Page holder and book marker device



May 26, 1970 J. G. FERRICK PAGE HOLDER AND BOOK MARKER DEVICE Filed May 21, 1969 JEJSEPH G. FER/P/C/K INVEN'TOR.

United States PatentO 3,513,806 PAGE HOLDER AND BOOK MARKER DEVICE Joseph G. Ferrick, 707 Stephen Road, Burbank, Calif. 91504 Filed May 21, 1969, Ser. No. 826,581 Int. Cl. B42d 9/00 US. Cl. 116-119 11 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A book page holder and marker is disclosed having a length of wire formed into continuous segments or portions to provide an elongated support portion terminating at its free end in a bead and at its opposite end in a self-biasing arcuate portion coupled to an inwardly extending clip portion which is then formed with a partially closed loop in spaced relationship to the support portion. The loop is adapted to removably couple about the mid-section of an elongated page separator rod. The clip portion is insertably installed over the book binding so that the loop portion is disposed between selected pages of the book. The rod extends normal to the support portion so that the rod provides a pair of coextensive arms adapted to separate the opposite pages of the book. With the rod removed, the support portion and the clip portion function as a page marker when the book is closed and the support portion provides a mount for storing the rod.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention relates to page holders and book markers and, more particularly, to a novel page holder and book marker having means for forcibly separating the pages of a book as well as for marking selected pages of the book when the book is closed.

Description of the prior art In the past, page holding devices have been employed when a person reading a book desired to lay the book down with assurance that the open pages will not become turned over so that the reader loses his place. Such an event could readily happenwhen a person is reading while sitting out-of-doors where a breeze could blow over some of the pages of the book. Also, unless a book has been opened and closed repeatedly through extensive use, the bookbinding generally is self-biasing so that the pages of the book will have a tendency to close or turn over when the book covers are separated. This situation occurs quite commonly when books are new and the book binding relatively fresh and somewhat rigid.

Attempts have been made to provide a combined page holder and book marker such as is disclosed in US. Pat. 2,780,481, for example. However, conventional page holders tend to incorporate a plurality of parts such as springs, fasteners, levers and the like, which are not only bulky but which extend beyond the perimeter of the book so as to be cumbersome and awkard. Furthermore, many of the prior art devices include parts with rough edges or sharp corners that have a tendency to damage, cut or obscure theprinting on the pages intended to be separated.

Therefore, a need has long existed to provide a simple page holder and book marker which is economical to manufacture and assembly and which will not damage either the pages of the book or deface or obscure the printing thereon.

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' SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The difiiculties and problems encountered with conventional page holders and book markers are obviated by the present invention which provides a performed wire having a clip portion for retaining the wire on the book binding and a page separator detachably carried on the clip portion for forcibly spreading the opposite and opposing page portions of the book. Without the separator, the clip portion functions as a page marker when the book is closed.

In one form of the invention, the wire is shaped to provide a clip portion having a linear support segment and a V-shaped segment joined therewith by a selfbiasing arcuate portion. The V-shaped segement is normally biased so that its apex is urged towards the support segment to releasably grip the book binding disposed therebetween. The V-shaped segment includes a partially closed loop formed on its free end that is adapted to insertably receive an elongated separator means which extends transversely to the longitudinal axis of the clip portion so that its opposite end lengths provide a pair of arms disposed to engage the opposing pages intended to be separated.

As a book page marker, the clip portion including the loop, provides page separation but permits book closure. The separator means may be stored on the support segment against the external surface of the book backing.

Therefore, it is among the primary objects of the present invention to provide a novel page holder and book marker device which is simple to manufacture, economical in cost and which is neither bulky nor cumbersome to install and operate.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel page separator readily installed on the back of a book and adapted to provide means for bearing against the exposed leaves of an open book so as to operate effectively, regardless of how far reading of the book has progressed.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel means whereby a portion of the device may be employed as a place marker in the book for the reader when the book is closed.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a novel page separator and book marker which does not extend beyond the general outline or perimeter of the book and which will not tear or damage either the pages, the print or the book binding.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The features of the present invention which can believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The present invention, both as to its organization and manner of operation, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the novel page holder and book marker device of the present invention illustrated for retaining pages of a book in an open position;

' FIGURE 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the book and device shown in FIG. 1 as taken in the direction of arrows 2-2 thereof;

FIG. 3 is an end elevational view of the book and device shown in FIGS. 1 and 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the book in a closed condition with the device functioning as a book page marker;

FIG. is a side elevational view of the device illustrated in FIGS. '1-4;"

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary side elevational view of still another embodiment incorporating the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS between the back 12 and the binding 13 carrying the inner edges of the folios.

In general, the page holder and book marker device of the present invention is illustrated in the general direction of arrow 16, as illustrated in FIG. 5, which includes a clip portion composed of a single length of music wire of spring steel of suitable gauge, such as gauge .067, for example. The wire is preformed to provide a series of convolutions and formations so as to provide resiliency for the clip and snap fastening means for retaining a page separator. Briefly, the clip portion is illustrated in the di rection of arrow 17, the snap fastener is illustrated in general by the numeral 18 and the separator means by numeral 20.

More specifically, the clip portion is illustrated in FIG. 5 and includes a rectilinear length of wire forming an anchor or support segment 21 and a shallow V-shaped segment 22 which are joined together at adjacent ends by means of an arcuate portion 23 which is self-biasing to urge an apex 24 forming a junction of the diverging legs of the V-shaped portion against the opposing surface of the support segment 21. The snap fastener means comprises a partially closed loop 25 defining a narrow or necked-in entrance 26 to the interior of the loop. The free end of the wire forming the loop 25 terminates in an outwardly extending closed loop 27 so that the terminating wire end will not scratch or damage the paper of the page. Furthermore, the terminating end of the wire carried by support segment 21 terminates in a bead 28 which may be formed by any suitable plastic material such as epoxy, for example, or which may take the form of a plastic or rubber-like grommet.

As seen more clearly in FIG. 2, the clip portion of the device is mounted on the book so that the support segment 21 is disposed against the external surface of the back 12 of the book while the V-shaped segment 22 is disposed between the opposing pages intended to be separated. The back of the book, binding and associated page edges are disposed between the V-shaped segment and the support segment as these latter segments are separated due to the insertion of the book parts therebetween. The resilient portion 23 yields under the insertion pressure of these latter book parts to yieldably separate the V-shaped segment and the support segment. This action causes one leg of the V-shaped segment to extend substantially outwardly and away from the support segments 21 so that the snap fastener means 18 extends substantially in alignment with and adjacent to the major curvature of the bulk pages as indicated by numerals 30 and 31 in FIG. 1.

With reference to the separator means, it is to be noted that a tubular construction is illustrated in which the separator means takes the form of a hollow, cylindrical rod 20 preferably composed of translucent or transparent material having open ends 33 and 34 which are rounded or beveled. The rod 20 is assembled to the clip portion of the device by inserting the mid-section of the rod through the entrance 26 into the partially closed loop 25. The rod must be forcibly urged through the entrance 26 against the bias of the natural spring of the loop curvature so that the segments of the loop forming the entrance yields under the pressure to permit passage of the rod. Once the rod is situated within the confines of the loop, sufiicient bias pressure is exerted to hold the rod in place. Therefore, it can be said that the distance of the diameter of entrance 26 is less than the diameter of rod 20 and that the diameter of the partially closed loop is slightly less than the diameter of the rod whereby the loop diameter increases to accommodate the insertion of the rod. Furthermore, it is to be noted that inasmuch as the rod is cylindrical, no rough edges or sharp corners are present which would mar or otherwise damage the pages or print of the book-The clip portion of the device, as well as the rod holding or retaining portion, flex in response to the springlike characteristics of the wire so that the opposite ends of the rod which form coextensive arm members provide a pressure to forcibly urge separation of the divided portions of the book.

Previously, the device of the present invention has been described as functioning as a page holder. However, the device may also be employed as a book marker as illustrated in FIG. 4 in which the clip portion 16 is installed or assembled onto the back of the book as previously described so that the snap fastener portion represented by partially closed loop 25 and termination loop 27 resides between the opposing pages intended to be marked. The pages of the book may now be closed and the book will readily open to the selected page since the portion of the device between the pages provides sufiicient bulk to indicate page place. The separator rod 20 may be stored by inserting bead 28 carried on the end of segment 21 into the bore of the rod and sliding the rod toward arcuate portion 25. The spring bias of arcuate portion 25 will cause the support segment 21 to retain the rod thereon against the back 12 of the book.

Thus, it can be seen that the page holder and book marker device of the present invention may be readily used by inserting the back and binding portions of the book between the support segment 21 and the V-shaped segment 22 so that the segments spread apart or yield under the insertion of the thickness of the book parts. The rod 20 may be arranged so that the opposite coextensive arms press against the bulk of the separated pages and slide past the entrance 26 of the snap fastener into place in the partially closed loop 25. When assembled, the major axis of the rod 20 is substantially normal to the major axis of the clip portion 16.

As a book marker, the clip portion remains installed on the book parts while the rod 20 is inserted over the support segment 21 in which instance the longitudinal or major axis of the rod is parallel to the longitudinal or major axis of the clip portion.

In FIGURES 6 and 7, alternate embodiments of the present invention are illustrated such that the terminating loop 27 is modified to permit alternate construction. For example, in FIGURE 6, it is to be noted that a terminating loop 35 is provided by bending the wire inwardly or toward the segment 22 so that the terminating p may be said to be inwardly disposed. In this event, a portion of the loop cooperates with one leg of the V-shaped member 22 to defined entrance 36 into the snap fastener means 37. This construction permits the rod 20 to be maintained within the loop 37 against a portion of the terminating loop 35.

With reference to FIGURE 7, a similar modification is shown wherein a terminating loop 38 is provided which is substantially oblong or tear-drop in shape and has a portion 40 which. cooperates with the leg of segment 22 to retain the rod therebetween.

The effectiveness of the clip may be improved in all embodiments by the provision of a bend 29 formed in one leg of the V-shaped segment 22. The bend is formed inwardly so as to extend towards the segment 21 and functions as a stress point in the segment to provide additional tension.

While particular embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from this invention in its broader aspects, and, therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A book marker and page holder device comprising:

a preformed length of spring wire bent over upon itself to provide a clip portion and a snap fastener portion; and

a page separator means detachably carried by said snap fastener portion and extending normal to the major axis of said clip portion.

2. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said snap fastener portion comprises a partially closed loop formed on a selected terminating end of said wire having a restricted entrance adapted to yieldably permit the insertion of said separator means therethrough.

3. The invention as defined in claim 1 wherein said clip portion comprises an elongated support segment, a shallow V-shaped segment and a resilient arcuate portion integrally joined selected ends of said support segment and said V-shaped segment together whereby said segments are normally biased toward each other.

4. The invention as defined in claim 3 including a rounded bead carried on the free end of said support segment; and

said snap fastener means comprising a partially closed loop integrally formed on the free end of said V- shaped segment having a restricted entrance leading into the interior of said loop adapted to yieldably accommodate passage of said separator means.

5. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said separator means comprises an elongated rod having a mid-section between its opposite ends adapted to be releasably engaged by said partially closed loop.

6. The invention as defined in claim 5 wherein the 5 opposite ends of said rod are beveled to provide a smooth surface thereon.

7. The invention as defined in claim 6 wherein said rod includes an open-ended bore adapted to insertably receive said support segment of said clip portion for storage when said rod is detached from said loop. 8. The invention as defined in claim 4 wherein said partially closed loop includes a fully closed loop having a portion thereof defining said entrance in cooperation with a leg of said V-shaped segment.

9. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein said fully closed loop extends outwardly away from said V- shaped segment.

10. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein said fully closed loop extends inwardly toward said V-shaped segment.

11. The invention as defined in claim 8 wherein said fully closed loop is oblong in side elevation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 194,137 8/1877 Dimmock 2410 327,682 10/1885 Hockett 1161l9 472,247 4/1892 Baker 24-81 571,254 11/1896 Whitmore 2466 XR 1,124,394 1/1915 Cooper 2467.9 2,431,084 11/ 1947 Seiler 24261 2,841,109 7/1958 Marty 116119 LOUIS I. CAPOZI, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

